Authors:

Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.

Purpose: Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) promotes corneal epithelial (CE) cell fate while suppressing mesenchymal properties. TGF-β plays a crucial role in cell differentiation and development, and if dysregulated, it induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). As KLF4 and TGF-β regulate each other in a context-dependent manner, we evaluated the role of the crosstalk between KLF4 and TGF-β-signaling in CE homeostasis. Read More

Authors:

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ability of the rat retina to control its pH is affected by diabetes.

Methods: Double-barreled H+-selective microelectrodes were used to measure extracellular [H+] in the dark-adapted retina of intact control and diabetic Long-Evans rats 1 to 6 months after intraperitoneal injection of vehicle or streptozotocin, respectively. Two manipulations-increasing of blood glucose and intravenous injection of the carbonic anhydrase blocker dorzolamide (DZM)-were used to examine their effects on retinal pH regulation. Read More

Authors:

Purpose: To develop and assess a method for predicting the likelihood of converting from early/intermediate to advanced wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and methods of deep learning.

Methods: Seventy-one eyes of 71 patients with confirmed early/intermediate AMD with contralateral wet AMD were imaged with OCT three times over 2 years (baseline, year 1, year 2). These eyes were divided into two groups: eyes that had not converted to wet AMD (n = 40) at year 2 and those that had (n = 31). Read More

Purpose: DNA methylation is a key epigenetic modification involved in various biological processes and diseases. Corneal epithelial wound healing (CEWH) is essential for restoring corneal integrity and transparency after injury. However, the role of DNA methylation in CEWH remains elusive. Read More

Aim: Oscillatory shear stress (OSS) is an atheroprone hemodynamic force that occurs in areas of vessel irregularities and is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Changes in signaling and transcriptional program in response to OSS have been vigorously studied, however, the underlying changes in the chromatin landscape controlling transcription remain to be elucidated. Here, we investigated the changes in the regulatory element (RE) landscape of endothelial cells under atheroprone OSS conditions in an in vitro model. Read More

Methods: Incidence rates (IRs) or exposure-adjusted IRs (EAIRs) of adverse events (AEs) per 100 patient-years (PY) were calculated using data which included RA patients exposed to any baricitinib dose. Read More

Migrating cells have to cross many physical barriers and confined spaces during their movement in 3D environments. The surrounding environment promotes mechano- and biological signals that orchestrate cellular changes, such as cytoskeletal and adhesion rearrangements and proteolytic digestion. Many recent studies provide new insights into how the nucleus must alter its shape, localization and mechanical properties in order to promote nuclear deformability, chromatin compaction and gene reprogramming. Read More

Long noncoding RNAs have been reported to play important roles in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR), which has been considered as the most common disease leading to vision loss. However, it is still unclear whether KCNQ1 overlapping transcript 1 (KCNQ1OT1) could affect DR. In this study, regarding quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay, KCNQ1OT1 level was upregulated while microRNA-1470 (miR-1470) was decreased in DR patients and human retinal endothelial cells. Read More

Authors:

Department of Ophthalmology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has emerged as the vector of choice for delivering genes to the retina. Indeed, the first gene therapy to receive FDA approval in the United States is an AAV-based treatment for the inherited retinal disease, Leber congenital amaurosis-2. Voretigene neparvovec (Luxturna™) is delivered to patients via subretinal (SR) injection, an invasive surgical procedure that requires detachment of photoreceptors (PRs) from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Read More

Authors:

The adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) platform has developed into a primary modality for efficient in vivo, and in more limited settings, in vitro or ex vivo gene transfer. Its applications range from a tool for experimental purposes to preclinical and clinical gene therapy. The ability to accurately and reproducibly quantify vector concentration is critical for any of these applications. Read More

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate potential correlations between age, gender, spherical equivalent and optical coherence tomography (OCT) retinal parameters among healthy children.

Methods: A macular spectral-domain OCT was performed in all patients using a Spectralis OCT device, and the macular thickness and volume of each of the early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) subfields were analysed.

Authors:

Department of Optics and Spectroscopy, Faculty of Physics, St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Tear-film (TF) stability protects the ocular surface epithelium from desiccation and is ensured via cooperation between the ocular surface components including constituents of the TF and ocular surface epithelium. Thus, when those components are insufficient or impaired, the TF breakup that initiates dry eye occurs. Recently, new, commercially available eye drops have appeared in Japan that enable TF stabilization via targeted supplementation of deficient ocular surface components. Read More

Purpose: To examine the effects of topical steroid instillation on central corneal thickness in eyes with bullous keratopathy (BK).

Study Design: Retrospective case series METHODS: Consecutive patients with BK who did not wish to receive corneal transplantation and were treated with 0.1% betamethasone eyedrops were included. Read More

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use Triton® SweptSource OCT to evaluate the morphology of blebs formed when eyes are treated with XEN® implants and to compare these with the blebs in successfully functioning eyes after trabeculectomy (TB) and with eyes of healthy controls.

Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study. We analyzed 25 eyes, 15 after TB and 10 with XEN® implants, comparing them with 23 healthy eyes (controls). Read More

Objective: To investigate the potential toxic effects of levetiracetam monotherapy on ocular tissues in cases of pediatric epilepsy using optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods: Thirty epileptic children (group 1) receiving levetiracetam monotherapy at a dosage of 20-40 mg/kg/day for at least 1 year with a first diagnosis of epilepsy and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy children (group 2) were included in the study. In addition to a detailed eye examination, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness, foveal thickness (FT), and central corneal thickness (CCT) were measured in all children by means of spectral domain OCT. Read More

Authors:

The motto of the German Ophthalmolological Society (DOG) Congress 2019 "Ophthalmology: our medical discipline with a future" raises the question of what "ophthalmological future" should really be, what are its driving forces and what are the foundations of its design. The design of the future, usually equated with "progress", naturally always takes place out of the present, which itself is a product of the past. History, like time and evolution, is always a continuum. Read More

Authors:

Astigmatism is the most frequent refractive error worldwide followed by hyperopia and myopia. Internal astigmatism has to be differentiated from external astigmatism. Furthermore, external astigmatism can be divided into "with the rule", "against the rule" and "oblique". Read More

The membrane guanylate cyclase, ROS-GC, that synthesizes cyclic GMP for use as a second messenger for visual transduction in retinal rods and cones, is stimulated by bicarbonate. Bicarbonate acts directly on ROS-GC1, because it enhanced the enzymatic activity of a purified, recombinant fragment of bovine ROS-GC1 consisting solely of the core catalytic domain. Moreover, recombinant ROS-GC1 proved to be a true sensor of bicarbonate, rather than a sensor for CO. Read More

Purpose: We investigate the interocular symmetry of fixation, optic disc, and corneal astigmatism in bilateral high myopia, and evaluate the predictive relationships between them.

Methods: We enrolled 202 cases with bilateral high myopia. Fixation, in terms of the bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA), was evaluated with the Macular Integrity Assessment microperimetry. Read More

Purpose: To investigate the safety and effectiveness of intravitreal injection (IVI) of 1.25% povidone iodine (PI) followed by vitrectomy using 0.025% PI irrigation for treating endophthalmitis. Read More

The aim of the present study was to investigate the utility of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters of the central visual pathway and the size of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in the diagnosis of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). To test this, 24 POAG patients and 24 age- and gender-matched controls underwent 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging examinations, including DTI and LGN structural imaging. Read More

Middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysm is a serious medical condition mainly occurring in the proximal and bifurcation tracts. Evidence has indicated that endovascular treatment is an effective surgical method for patients with MCA aneurysm. In the present study, the efficacy of endovascular treatment with low-profile visualized intraluminal support (LVIS) stent for MCA aneurysms was evaluated in comparison with that using a non-LVIS stent device. Read More

Authors:

Metabolic Neurology, Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

Aim: Demographic factors potentially influencing the presentation and severity of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) in the US vs. UK populations include obesity and ethnicity. We aimed to compare the presenting features of IIH between populations in the UK and US tertiary referral centres, to assess what population differences exist and whether these cause different presentations and impact on visual function. Read More

Results: The Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity (PRCS) at which 5% of the population should first experience a 10% reduction in colour vision testing from baseline was calculated for each of the three colour vision devices: Farnsworth D-15 test: 1. Read More

Autoimmune uveitis is a sight-threatening disease mainly caused by dysregulation of immunity. We investigated the therapeutic effects of green tea extract (GTE) and its major component, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), on a murine model of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). Oral administration of GTE, EGCG, dexamethasone, or water, which started 5 days before the induction, was fed every two days to each group. Read More

Irreversible photoreceptor cell death is a major cause of blindness in many retinal dystrophies. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the progressive loss of photoreceptor cells remains therefore crucial. Abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been linked with the aetiology of a number of retinal dystrophies. Read More

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 61 healthy volunteers (61 eyes), 65 POAG patients (65 eyes), and 55 CPACG patients (55 eyes) were recruited to obtain radial B-scans of the optic nerve head by way of enhanced depth imaging using Heidelberg SD-OCT. The obtained LCT and ALCSD were compared among the control, POAG, and CPACG groups. Read More

Authors:

Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence rate of amblyopia and strabismus in Chinese Hani ethnic school-aged children.

Methods: All grade 1 and grade 7 students in Mojiang Hani Autonomous County, located in southwest China, were invited for comprehensive eye examinations performed by experienced ophthalmologists and optometrists, including visual acuity, ocular alignment and movements, cycloplegic autorefraction, anterior segment and fundus examinations. Standard definitions of amblyopia and strabismus were applied to calculate their prevalence rate. Read More

Authors:

Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Introduction: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness. After smoking, nutrition is the key modifiable factor in reducing AMD incidence and progression, and no other preventative treatments are currently available. At present, there is an evidence-practice gap of dietary recommendations made by eye care practitioners and those actually practised by patients with AMD. Read More

Authors:

Health Innovation Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Objective: Teleophthalmology for diabetic eye screening is an evidence-based intervention substantially underused in US multipayer primary care clinics, even when equipment and trained personnel are readily available. We sought to identify patient and primary care provider (PCP) barriers, facilitators, as well as strategies to increase teleophthalmology use.

Design: We conducted standardised open-ended, individual interviews and analysed the transcripts using both inductive and directed content analysis to identify barriers and facilitators to teleophthalmology use. Read More

What are PubFacts Points?
PubFacts points are rewards to PubFacts members, which allow you to better promote your profile and articles throughout PubFacts.com

How do I earn PubFacts Points?
Each member is given 50 PubFacts points upon signing up. You can earn additional points by completing 100% of your profile, creating and participating in discussions, and sharing other members research.

What can I do with PubFacts Points?
Currently, you can use PubFacts Points to promote and increase readership of your articles.